The present invention relates generally to umbrellas. Umbrellas are well known items for protecting a person against inclement weather, such as rain, snow, sleet, etc. Conventionally, umbrellas have been about three feet long with a handle that can be straight or curved. More recently, compact umbrellas about one-third the size of conventional umbrellas have been provided and which can fit within a briefcase or the like.
A problem with conventional longer umbrellas is where to place the umbrella when not in use. For example, when sitting or standing, and waiting for a train, it is not easy to position the umbrella to become unobtrusive, and oftentimes, the umbrella ends up falling down on the floor.
In addition, while sitting or standing, and waiting for a train, a person often is holding a drink while attempting to read a magazine, and at the same time, preventing the umbrella from falling on the floor. The person may also have shopping packages and/or a coat that must be laid to one side. All of the above together become very cumbersome to deal with.
Although it is known to provide bags, hooks, trays, etc. secured to pole like device for supporting items thereon, these known devices are not adequate for handling a person""s many items, such as a drink, cigarettes, magazines, coat and/or parcels. Further, these devices must be separately assembled with the pole like devices, thereby increasing the cost and complexity thereof. Examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. DES 325,297; DES 411,654; 1,758,379; 2,210,493; 5,056,545; 5,803,327; and 5,878,762.
It is also known to strap other pole like devices, such as a fishing rod, snow board pole or ski to a leg of a person, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,761,497; 4,681,246; 5,941,435; 6,138,976; and 6,357,639; and to strap an umbrella to an arm of a person, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,966. None of these pole like devices, however, are intended to hold extraneous items, and could not practically do so.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an umbrella and article holder that overcomes the problems with the aforementioned prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an umbrella and article holder in which the umbrella has various holders molded into and/or secured to the handle for holding various items therein when the umbrella is held upright.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an umbrella and article holder in which a leg strap is provided for securing the umbrella to a leg of a person to maintain the umbrella in an upright position, whether the person is standing or sitting, in order to hold the items in the holders of the handle.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an umbrella and article holder that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, an umbrella and article holder includes an umbrella having a shaft, a handle connected to one end of the shaft, and a fabric covering connected to an opposite end of the shaft and adapted to open up to provide a protective covering against rain, snow and sleet; at least one article holder connected with the handle of the umbrella for holding at least one article when the umbrella is held in an upright configuration; and a leg securing device for securing the umbrella to a leg of a person such that the umbrella remains in the upright configuration whether the person is sitting or standing.
The leg securing device includes a strap for securing the umbrella to the leg of the person. The strap includes at least one hook like fastener section and at least one loop like fastener section on opposite sides thereof for engagement with each other to secure the strap around the leg of the person and around the umbrella.
The strap further includes a slot for receipt of one end of the strap such that the one end extending through the slot can be secured to the strap by at least one hook like fastener section and at least one loop like fastener section to form a small diameter enclosure for wrapping about the umbrella, wherein an opposite end of the strap includes at least one hook like fastener section or at least one loop like fastener section and is adapted to be wrapped about a leg of a person and about the small diameter enclosure to engage with at least one other loop like fastener section and at least one other hook like fastener section on the strap to secure the strap about the leg of the person and about the small diameter enclosure.
Preferably, the strap includes a narrower width end portion which includes the one end.
The at least one article holder includes a drink holder, cigarette box holder, cigarette lighter holder and pen holder connected to an upper end of the handle, and a hook for holding at least one of a hat and coat and an extension for holding a shopping bag connected to a lower end of the handle, all of which are formed as a unitary, one-piece construction with the handle.
Further, a magazine holder is provided having an magazine rack for holding at least one magazine, and a connector to which the magazine rack is mounted, the connector having an opening through which the umbrella is adapted to fit in a friction on manner so that the magazine holder can be held at a desired height along the umbrella.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description there of which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.